Ramblings of a waterlogged Seattle area gardener and wannabe urban farmer

My Fecal Coliform Bacteria Machine…

by myrubberboots on October 18, 2011

Welly

Actually, Welly isn’t the only Fecal Coliform Bacteria machine out there. All pet waste that’s left sitting in your yard can get into our streams, rivers and Puget Sound (or whatever is downstream for you). High levels of the bacteria have already been found in a lot of our local waterways.

The best thing you can do is clean up after your pets and dispose of it in the garbage. Going forward, instead of tossing Welly’s ‘business’ into my bushes, I vow to bag it up and toss it in the trash. I already do this when walking him in public so why not do the same when he’s in our yard?

Pet waste isn’t the only reason the bacteria is in our waters — cleaning it up is just a small step that most folks can take at home. Just think about how many people you know that have dogs and the amount of waste that could be making it’s way back into our rivers & streams. That’s pretty gross.

Anyway, the same goes for pesticides, fertilizers, oil, paint and anything else you wash down a storm drain or let seep into the soil – it eventually makes its way into our water. Every little bit helps. Let’s try to keep our water clean.

Oh, and I borrowed the idea of using my cute puppy to add a bit of humor. I went to a discussion on water quality today and thought I’d share what I learned.